Future Possible Purchasers Of The Cruise Control Should Let It Be Known...

[Harleyduo 2]

Anybody that has already picked up their smart car or has one on order to be picked up later, will eventually wish it had a cruise control option.

Fortunately, we have a company right here in North America (the United States and Canada venture) that is working to develop a top of the line unit specifically for the smart car. However, unfortunately, most of us have been very complacent about letting these people know how likely we are to purchase one.

They have created a tremendously informational site at "www.smartcarcruisecontrol.com" to keep perspective purchasers informed and answer any and all questions and concerns. I've been astonished that almost NOBODY from this site or any other smart car chat forum have logged in to let the leaders of this adventure know that you we are eagerly awaiting to buy their product. Although I am not connected with the project in any way, other than being a fervent supporter of anybody that is trying to bring out an affordable, quality product for our smart cars.

I am becoming almost embarrassed that I have been almost the only person making any posts there and it's giving the impression that there is little support for such a product or that nobody is concerned whether the product comes out or not. In my gut, I KNOW this is NOT true, but unless people start actually stating that they are eager to take a look at the product and they want a quality cruise control option, the wrong message is being sent by everybody just sitting back and not making their wishes known. Please consider logging in and at least leaving a message on the likelihood that you will want one of their cruise controls at some point in the future. I have never seen a company that is more open and more honest in their keeping the customer informed. All of US and and how WE support the products for smart cars are going to determine how many entrepreneurs are willing to invest in making them available to us. Please take action NOW and keep worthy projects like this alive.

[wayneo66 0]

I appreciate the heads up. I knew nothing of the cruise control site until now, but I've at least gone and registered there, and will return to the site this week to read the forums in more detail.I don't have my fortwo yet, but if I get mine in a few weeks or so, and if I can't live without cruise control, I will definitely keep this product forefront in my mind.Thanks, Harleyduo!

Anybody that has already picked up their smart car or has one on order to be picked up later, will eventually wish it had a cruise control option.Fortunately, we have a company right here in North America (the United States and Canada venture) that is working to develop a top of the line unit specifically for the smart car. However, unfortunately, most of us have been very complacent about letting these people know how likely we are to purchase one.They have created a tremendously informational site at "www.smartcarcruisecontrol.com" to keep perspective purchasers informed and answer any and all questions and concerns. I've been astonished that almost NOBODY from this site or any other smart car chat forum have logged in to let the leaders of this adventure know that you we are eagerly awaiting to buy their product. Although I am not connected with the project in any way, other than being a fervent supporter of anybody that is trying to bring out an affordable, quality product for our smart cars. I am becoming almost embarrassed that I have been almost the only person making any posts there and it's giving the impression that there is little support for such a product or that nobody is concerned whether the product comes out or not. In my gut, I KNOW this is NOT true, but unless people start actually stating that they are eager to take a look at the product and they want a quality cruise control option, the wrong message is being sent by everybody just sitting back and not making their wishes known. Please consider logging in and at least leaving a message on the likelihood that you will want one of their cruise controls at some point in the future. I have never seen a company that is more open and more honest in their keeping the customer informed. All of US and and how WE support the products for smart cars are going to determine how many entrepreneurs are willing to invest in making them available to us. Please take action NOW and keep worthy projects like this alive.

[rrrucke 0]

Is this the cruise that's being offered by our President and I think smart451.com? Or is this another company? This mod would be real handy since I have to keep it under 3,000 rpm for the next 850 miles, as per the dealership, which is very hard to do. Thanks, Regina

Edited February 11, 2008 by rrrucke

[SmartieParts 12]

"Our President" Sounds so formal.

Anyway, remember I wear more than one hat. I'd like to make sure people understand that I (Steven) act as both president of the club, and I also own SmartieParts... a retailer that carries parts for the smart. The business came first, and I try to make sure the two roles don't mix. So in that light, "our president" doesn't offer anything! SmartieParts does, and it just happens to be run by the same guy. lol, I hope that makes sense what I'm trying to say there. Because clubsmartcar, even with me as president, in no way advertises for or endorses the products that SmartieParts provides.

So to answer your questions, the cruise that smartieparts offers right now is the MDC cruise control, and not the one at the site listed above. I can't speak for the other site you mentioned, but seeing as though the North American produced unit is not yet available to any retailer, I would highly doubt it. At this time, the ONLY cruise control for the 451 available immediately is the MDC unit, so if you see one for sale anywhere, its likely that one.

Clear as mud? HarleyDuo is absolutely right though... if members want to see products like this developed, they should provide feedback when requested and show interest to keep it going. The more parts that are made for our cars, the more options we'll have and the less expensive things will become.

- Steven

[Razorback 0]

I as well have alot of interest in an excellent quality cruise control for my smart but I'll need to get the smart first.

[J2H 1]

are canadian and us smarts the same specs?

[SmartieParts 12]

In the context of cruise controls? Or...? Neither have a cruise control for the 2008s None of them anywhere do. - Steven

[dancote 0]

I've been following the progress of the group developing a CC for the 451 very closely since December. There's now a prototype available and some actual testing has been done in a smart. They've just posted pictures of a model of the control stalk at LINK I'm encouraged that it looks like a factory installation.

[Tom P. 0]

Dan,Thanks for the update and link. It really looks good. Now all we need is some real-world testing and feedback. If it works as good as it looks, I will want one.

[lightey 0]

I've been to the site and saw an earlier 3D image and to be honest, I wasn't enthralled, however the one I see now looks great. If the final product looks that good (and works as indicated), I may just be prompted to buy Lightey a little gift sometime soon. I have a couple of items on my wish list (in no real order): new panels, footwell lighting, re-map, Scangauge and now, your cruise control. If money were no object you could add a conservative, externally invisible 451 Smartuki conversion.Keep going, you're doing a great job so far ... I guess that I've got nothing to lose by encouraging you (P.S. It's too much effort to register there, so you get my comments here ... sorry)

Edited March 23, 2008 by lightey

[Guest kwaldron]

Why do they insist on routing all the way to the back of the car when they could simply plug in near the speedo? For that alone I expect to see a $200 savings over it's competitors. KISS

[bilgladstone 13]

Why do they insist on routing all the way to the back of the car when they could simply plug in near the speedo? For that alone I expect to see a $200 savings over it's competitors. KISS

The 451 has a handy access to electrical connections in the side boot panel. that saves crawling all upside down under the footwell and taking the speedo apart. The savings in time and hassle is worth the price of a couple of metres of wire! I think that choice is a result of the KISS philosophy.

Bil

[Razorback 0]

This product looks promising but just as the 450 interior and the 451 interior is different so will be the cruise control stalks so it will be a matter of taste and cross compatibility as to it's usefulness to both models.

[Guest Cruise451]

Hello. I don't get on here much because we're busy developing, but I was told I should come check this thread out. Here are some comments/replies:

Thanks for the update and link. It really looks good. Now all we need is some real-world testing and feedback. If it works as good as it looks, I will want one.

Thank you. Real world testing comes in due time. With the first prototype, we did bench testing then put it into the car and did track testing. It was very promising but an undersized component was discovered and burned out when we subjected it to stress-testing. Stress-testing mimics electrical conditions that would likely never occur in real world driving, but its always better to be safe than sorry. So proto #2 has been designed and is on its way and we'll repeat the testing. If it passes bench, track, and stress testing (all 100% expected) then it will move on to street testing, first by us and then by several volunteers. It has already met all UL, CSA, and DOT requirements for automotive speed control.

I've been to the site and saw an earlier 3D image and to be honest, I wasn't enthralled, however the one I see now looks great.

The first one and the new one are externally the same model... but the first one wasn't fully rendered. We handn't hit the "pretty" button yet It takes over 20 minutes for this computer to render the graphic fully so I normally don't bother. By "rendered", I mean the software applies aproximations of what reflections of light will look like, shadows, etc... and most importantly it gives it an aproximation of the texture the materials have. It helps for appearance, but has no functional purpose so I normally don't bother. Clearly though, it has people more excited about the project than before so it goes to show that visuals help! Thank you for your feedback.

Why do they insist on routing all the way to the back of the car when they could simply plug in near the speedo? For that alone I expect to see a $200 savings over it's competitors. KISS

Its the better way to do it. Electrically speaking anyway. Not necessarily wanting to harp on the "competition", but some reasons are discussed on our site. Mostly though, its easier to install our way. Consider this - if you tap in at the speedo, then you still need the pedal signal. So now you need to run lines to both the speedo and the pedal as well as the switch. At the rear, you have direct access to both the pedal and the speedo (its just the other end of those wires) and the only thing you have to run up front is the switch. The speedo isnt' really the problem, its the pedal. On the 451 there is extremely limited space to work in that area. Compare that with the rear compartment where you can install it standing up and have a convenient shelf to sit your beverage on rather than being hunched over in a unnatural position fighting with wires that are possibly shorter than your nerves will be hoping you don't strip a connection. And you better not! Because there simply isn't enough room for try #2 and now you have an expensive repair. Beyond that, the connector at the pedal is a proprietary part that Mercedes (its an MB part, not a smart part) won't give up in any reasonable quantity which would force us to use a "next best thing" connector, which won't seal properly and that's a very bad thing in a potentially wet environment.Believe me, we didn't put it in the back to make it harder! We thought outside the box to make it less expensive, easier to install, and (most importantly) electrically sound. The obvious thing was to do it the same way they did it, but there's no way that pedal connection would pass CSA or DOT requirements.

This product looks promising but just as the 450 interior and the 451 interior is different so will be the cruise control stalks so it will be a matter of taste and cross compatibility as to it's usefulness to both models.

This is easily answered. Our product WILL NOT work for the 450. It is designed specifically for the 451 which will, incidentally, make it the first and only one designed for the 451. Initially, we thought about having it compatible with both models but there are too many differences and we thought it best to focus on one model at a time. Once this project is finished, it is on our agenda to re-evaluate and determine if there is enough market support for producing our brand for the 450 as well. It is a simpler car to communicate with, and our cruise stalk will work immediately with the 450 coupe (cabrio would have to be slightly redesigned) but we'd have to produce it in a different color. That's not a big deal. The big difference is in the connectors. If we can get access to a 450 and find a way to tap in without relying on a supply of proprietary connectors then we'll be in business. If we have to use smart-specific connectors, then the reality is that it is a car that's no longer in production so the connectors very well may be too hard to find in any reasonable quantity.